The transmission was staticky and often missed out words, but there was enough of it for Zim to understand the message. 'Irken public... shocking news... Tallest... dead...' Zim gasped. One of the Tallest was dead? The message continued '...poison ...Defective ...execu...' The message was breaking up. There was a long period of static, then the final sentence sounded clear. 'Ex-Tallest Purple is dead. Long Live Almighty Tallest Red.' The message faded out to sounds of the Irken anthem.
Zim stood up and lowered his antennae, keeping his eyes to the floor. His hands were at his sides in the traditional Irken stance of mourning. This was the position he was in five minutes later when Lard Narr entered the room. 'Zim?' he asked. He had never seen Zim this still, unless he was depressed, and he seemed to have been getting better.
'Huh?' Zim was shocked out of mourning. 'What are you doing here. Get out! Get out!' Zim pointed towards the door.
'This is my room, Zim' Lard Narr walked over to his drawer and pulled out a clean shirt. He had been wearing the old one for a while. 'What's the problem, anyway?'
'The late, great, most powerful Almighty Tallest Purple is dead.'
'Yes,' Lard Narr said, as if it was well known knowledge. 'He died a couple of weeks ago.' It turns out it was general knowledge.
'What!' Zim exclaimed, 'why did no one tell Zim?!'
'They banished you. I didn't think you'd care. Plus you are still our prisoner, even if you have more freedom than any of the others.' Lard Narr had changed his shirt and was wondering if he should get clean pants.
'I'm not your prisoner.' Zim declared, then walked over and pushed Lard Narr in the chest. Lard Narr just looked down at Zim. Zim had never pushed him before. He wanted to see where this would go before he reprimanded Zim for his actions.
Lack of action by Lard Narr caused Zim to become cocky, and he punched Lard Narr in the stomach. On the way down, Zim brought his knee up into between Lard Narrs legs. He knew this had a debilitating effect on creatures that kept their genitals on the outside. When Lard Narr was down on his knees, Zim kicked him underneath his chin. He then kicked and punched Lard Narr everywhere he could reach. He didn't stop until he saw blood leak from Lard Narrs mouth. Then he stood back panting. Lard Narr would be sore when, or if, he woke up, and Zim didn't want to be there when that happened.
He exited the room, glad that Lard Narr hadn't thought to lock the door, the looked down the corridor. He took the left path, and ran down it until he saw a map on the wall. It was a map of all the emergency exits on the ship, and even listed the ones with escape pods. He carefully memorised the route to the closest escape pods, and turned around, only to run straight into an alien.
It picked Zim up by the head and held him at arms length. 'You're Lard Narrs Irken! I'd better take you back to him.' He started walking back to The Room.
'No, NO!' Zim protested, struggling in the grip of the larger alien. He stopped struggling when he was hit by the other alien. It was a hard enough hit to make him see stars, though the alien carrying him probably thought it was light.
He was humming a non-existent tune when he reached Lard Narr's room. 'Hey Lard Narr!' he shouted. 'I've got your Irken!' When there was no reply he opened the door, surprised to find it unlocked. He gasped at the sight of Lard Narr lying in his own blood, and dropped Zim.
Zim tried to take this opportunity to run away, but was stopped when he was picked up again. 'Did you do this, little Irken?' The alien asked.
'No.' Zim said, and tried to shake his head, but all he managed to do was wriggle his shoulders.
The alien looked sceptically at Zim, and used his communicator to call up the medical crew (really just the few most knowledgeable aliens on the subject of health and anatomy. They also usually doubled as torturers).He looked back down at Zim and said, 'I think you should go to the cells.'
-- -- -- -
Umm, I think the next chapter might become very bloody. If you're squeamish, I'm warning you in advance. I haven't written it yet, but it seems to be heading that way. Though if you are squeamish, why are you reading this?
Do you think Storm troopers are unionised? Yes, I'm watching Star Wars while I'm writing this. And how does an explosion happen in space anyway? Stupid George Lucas and his "digital enhancing." Why couldn't he have kept it in its' original format?
